Template:Debate Guide:Arguments about adult-minor relationships

Age of Consent laws are a blunt instrument...

• Against: It's wrong because it's illegal - Homosexuality was once illegal.
• Problems with the Age of Consent - There are numerous flaws, listed on this page.

• Against: Legal pragmatism - It is wrongly argued that high Ages of Consent are "pragmatic".

• Against: There is no law that prohibits minors - Nonsensical argument claiming minors are already sexually emancipated.

Myths and bad meta-ethics plague discussions of expressed adult-minor sexuality...

• Against: All child molesters are pedophiles - This belief is demonstrably false.
• Against: "Stranger danger" or "It could be anyone" - Two conflicting "expert" opinions (both unfounded, abused to incite fear).
• Against: If we could only save one child - Negative utilitarianism is discredited and nonsensical meta-ethics.
• Against: Sexualisation and objectification - Sex/physical relationships needn't be all-consuming.
• Against: Sexual inexperience - When is supposedly the "best time" to gain life experience?
• Against: Teacher/student sex - The contention these relations are always ethically wrong.

Levels of harm are exaggerated and the sources are completely misunderstood...

• Against: Power disparity/Stockholm Syndrome - Differences in power may lead to abuse, but how often is this actually the case?
• Against: Profound and lifelong scarring - These sequelae are thankfully rare.
• Against: Doomed from the beginning - Will adult-minor relationships really die off as the youngster grows older?
• Against: Recidivism is highest among child sex offenders - Demonstrably false.

Other societies and species are points of interest...

• Nonhuman relatives - Other species' adult-juvenile sexuality.
• Historical nonadult-adult sex - Historical societies in which said relations were permitted.

Many people also speak from direct experience...

• Our database of accounts - An anecdotal study, including useful infographics.